Cargo pallets are used in the transport industry to ship physical objects. They are generally used to secure physical objects thereon and provide a unified container format to handle. Cargo pallets carry physical objects in transit using various types of transportation. Cargo pallets are used in air cargo transportation where weight and stiffness is of significant importance. Legacy cargo pallets are made with materials that make them strong but heavy. It is therefore desirable to have a cargo pallet that is lighter to move and handle.
One way to lighten cargo pallets is to use composites materials in their construction. Composite materials offer a better strength/weight ratio than most isotropic materials do. Composites materials are lighter than metals (eg. aluminum) because they are designed to provide material to sustain mechanical loads applied thereon. Generally, composite material products are strong in their overall chemical structure.
The use of composite materials in cargo pallets raises some challenges. The junction between the cargo pallet frame, generally made of aluminum to sustain dents and shocks, and the remaining structure made of composite materials face a series of challenges to prevent weakening of the composite materials and to create a strong and durable structure. Maintenance and repairs that might be desirable over the life of a cargo pallet raise another set of considerations.
Physical tests are performed on cargo pallets to ensure they meet each mandatory requirement. Some tests are adapted to verify if the cargo pallet resists impacts and supports a predetermined load. For example, aerospace standards require a cargo pallet to sustain direct local loads/stresses applied to some portions of the cargo pallet. The cargo pallet needs to sustain lifting significant loads and resists accelerations of many G-forces (1G being one time the Earth's gravity) without suffering significant damages.
It is therefore desirable to find an improved composite material cargo pallet over the existing art. It is also desirable to find a composite material that is prone to support loads that must be supported by a cargo pallet. It is also desirable to provide an improved cargo pallet frame structure junction with composite materials portions to ensure a strong assembly and a significant cargo pallet useful life.
Other deficiencies will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains in view of the following summary and detailed description with its appended figures.